Tea in the dark to warm the heart
by DazeyRains
Summary: District 13, theres an air raid happening above and everyone is bedded down in the shelter for the night. Feeling unwanted and alone, Effie contemplates leaving for good until Haymitch appears...with Tea.


"Is everyone ok? Are you alright?" Effie repeated as she clicked her way up and down the rows of bunker beds and scared faces.

"Just a little air raid" she chirped, "nothing to be frightened of"

She knew she was being completely ridiculous, of course it was frightening! She was desperately trying not to panic herself.

So, she kept her chin up and her smile bright, just as mummy had taught her, and her heels clicked on.

"Can I get you anyth-"

People stared at her with wide eyes or turned their backs. She was being far too upbeat for the situation they were all in.

She offered out water to those who would take it from her, she even sacrificed her blanket to a man with his small child with much less than a thank you, but that didn't matter. Thanks or no thanks, she felt she was helping and it beat sitting doing nothing. Not exactly keeping a low profile as instructed by Coin but Coin wasn't there. She turned a corner to the next row of beds when suddenly something hit from above, too close for comfort.

She was knocked off her feet as the tremor from an explosion somewhere above, hit the shelter and ricocheted through the walls. People hit the deck, huddling close, clinging to their beds and to each other, no one seemed to care about the escort on the floor.

A torch light flashed in Effies eyes as she lifted herself up from the dusty concrete.

"What are you doing, will you get back to your assigned bed" Haymitch tutted.

He switched off his torch and helped her up.

"I'm just trying to help, these people are frightened and they need some... reassurance"

Haymitch pulled her close and kept his voice low.

"Look, no offence sweetheart. But we're getting attacked by the Captiol right now, I think the last thing these people need is reassurance from...a Captiol citizen"

"I'm not- !" Effie stopped herself from raising her voice "I'm on your side"

"I know that, but they don't understand that yet. I told you it would take time"

She looked around at the terrified faces, holding one another, comforting each other. Haymitch was right, she wasn't the best person to be offering them aid right now.

Suddenly another tremor hit and she grabbed the nearest thing to her, so not to fall off her heels again.

"Hey, hey, it's ok" Haymitch soothed as Effie suddenly clung to his shirt.

"I'm not scared!" She said proudly, but not convincing enough and jutted her chin upwards to save face "I just didn't want to fall over, thats all"

Effie cleared her throat and let go of him. "Fine. I'll go back to my bed, where I belong"

She walked away defeatedly, back towards her bunker at the back of the shelter.

"Its for your own safety" Haymitch called after her, watching her huff away. He flicked his torch back on and continued his round of checks.

When Effie reached her bed she slumped down onto it with a heavy sigh. The mattress was so thin she could feel every spring. Her pillow was musty and slightly yellow so she unravelled the scarf from her head and placed it over the stains. The pressure on her head suddenly lifted, turns out she didn't have a head ache after all, she must have just been wearing it too tight. She ran her fingers through her hair, scratching and soothing her scalp.

A bigger one hit. It was so hard she felt her bed lift from the floor.

Dust scattered into the air as bits of rubble fell around them. People started to panic and hold each other closer.

She heard a few of the guards trying to soothe the hysteria. "Don't panic, we are safe here, we promise" "it's the tremors that are the worst, everything will be ok, we are not in any danger here, they're not as close as it feels"

It seemed to work after several attempts and people began to calm down.

Across the way Effie watched as a mother smoothed her hand over the heads of her two daughters, who were clinging to her with tears in their eyes. To her left, a couple kissed sweetly, clearly in love and ready to defy the odds together. Another couple further back, two women, about 10 years older than her, one squeezing the others hand as the other caressed her lovers cheek.

Effie looked to the empty space beside her and felt a chill. Her blanket was now wrapped around some one else so she had nothing for comfort. Nothing but a musty old pillow.

The tremors kept coming in waves but seemed to be getting less harsh, hopefully meaning that the bombers above were getting further away.

She ran her fingers over the metal structure of her bed and as she sat there alone, cold and exhausted, watching everybody hold somebody, she felt her emotions start to bubble to the surface and the tears began to well up in her eyes.

Loneliness was painful in district 13. Before, it had been a choice, but here... here she needed someone, a friend, an ally, even a lover would be a small comfort. Someone to touch, someone to touch her and remind her she's still alive, still relevant. Looking around, there wasn't a single face she recognised. No one smiled, no one invited her to join their groups, no one seemed to care that she was frightened too. She saw that someone had made a pot of tea and was passing it around, filling cups...but no one offered any to Effie. Her cup remained dry. She didn't want to let it get to her. She couldn't. If she disappeared inside herself now, she would lose herself forever. She could leave. She could sneak away and head back out into the wild in hope that a Captiol craft would find her and rescue her...or kill her.

No, going back to the Captiol was not what she wanted to do but she could leave, live out in the woods and -

Huh, She almost laughed out loud. Who was she kidding. Her? alone in the woods? Fending for herself against mother nature? If she left she'd die quick and maybe that would be the better option.

She gripped the cold metal tighter and closed her eyes. At least she was holding something.

After about half an hour had passed the tremors seemed to cease for the night. The lights in the shelter were switched low and mostly everyone was sleeping by now or at least trying to...

Effie was trying.

Her eyes were still closed but she was struggling to slip off without the comfort of a blanket. She felt exposed, her clothes were thin and she was starting to shiver.

Suddenly she felt eyes on her and looked up to see Haymitch standing over her with two cups of tea.

"You look tired" he said, extending a cup out towards her

"Thanks" she replied "You don't look so great yourself"

He sniggered and she took the tea, accidently grazing his hand with her own

"Jesus, you're freezing" he acknowledged, placing his cup down on a propped up crate beside her bed and sitting beside her.

"I'm fine" she said stubbornly, but she couldn't hide her shaking bones.

Without hesitation he shifted himself behind her, leaning his back against her propped up musty old pillow. He placed his hands on her upper arms from behind and gently rubbed up and down.

She was a little surprised by the gesture at first but his hands were so wonderfully warm, she could feel the tension in her body relax.

"I hope I didn't upset you earlier" he whispered gently from behind her "I know you were only trying to help"

She didn't answer him. She felt the tears begin to swell again so she scrunched her eyes closed and took a deep breath.

"They'll get used to you, I promise. Heck, I did"

"Took you long enough"

He laughed but she didn't. She was so tired and he could tell. She finished her tea and placed her cup down with his and sleep beckoned them both.

He felt her wobble slightly so he tugged on her shoulders, drawing her to scoot backwards until her back was resting against his side.

As inappropriate as it should have been, she didn't care. It felt too good to be held beside him. She let her head fall back a and he let it tuck just beneath his jaw. His arms came around her, enclosing her in his radiating heat and they sat there in the quiet and in the dark, falling into a rhythm as their chests rose and fell with deep breath.

"Isn't it against protocol for the soldiers to sleep with the refugees" she yawned, wriggling in closer, settling in.

"I'm not a soldier" he muttered sleepily. fatigue had overcome him as well "Now shut up and go to sleep"

She smiled, blushing in the darkness. Happy but confused but intrigued by where this would go next.

She felt comfortable here with him, like it was meant to be. Had she finally found her reason for being here?

He had certainly now given her a reason to stay.


End file.
